The 6 + 5 rule rears its ugly head again

So... what does everyone think now that theoretically this could go through.

Personally I think even if it is theoretically legal it's still practically unworkable due to the following hypothetical situation (and similar):

1. A club, any club, has lets say... 10 English players in its senior team. Lets say 6 of them are injured, leaving them with four.2. Lets say the worst affected position is central midfield, but they have 3 French players and an Italian who can fill the role, the two of whom are regular internationals.3. The manager, to comply with the quota, promotes 16 year old Jim Smith from the youth team to make up the numbers. He takes the place of one of the above players.4. The Itallian brings an action against the club for discrimination5. The court says that the fault is not with the club but with the Fifa regulation which is restricting his right to actively work in the UK.6. The rule ends up before the European Court of Justice, who scrap it, because otherwise they will have to deal with some variation of the situation and it's just easier to remove the situation all together.

No, but it's looking more likely that the Commission will take FIFA before the ECJ who will rule that the rule is incompatible with freedom of movement to prevent further headaches, just like they did with Bosman.

That "it's the same in their country" defense just ends up getting both countries fined, it doesn't get anyone off. Never has done.

It's not just my scenario anyway. It's all very well restricting the ability of people like Fabregas to play for Arsenal, because he'll just go to Barca and be happy, he'll still be playing in the top leagues. But what about players like, off the top of my head, Robbie Keane, Eduardo, Hleb and Modric? None of these players from the former Soviet states are going to get near the big leagues under this rule, because nobody will want to buy them! The rule is therefore directly impacting their ability to play their trade in other member states. Robbie Keane will be forced to play in the Irish leagues, and Eduardo will be stuck playing his trade in Croatia when he deserves to be playing for Arsenal.

And then there's African players like Toure who have lived and worked in the EU long enough to get citizenship of a member state and are therefore protected by the same rules. Toure may be Ivorian and ineligible to play for England but he's technically an English citizen, but they're saying he can't play in England or anywhere else in the EU unless he's one of five?

Finally, players like Almunia, who are on the verge of English citizenship and will be entitled to play for the country they live in when they haven't been called up. What happens if Almunia gains his English citizenship and is therefore elligible to play, but the night before a big game is suddenly called up for Spain, meaning he can't play?

Like I say, theoretically legal, in practice unworkable. Even saying that the substitutes aren't affected isn't going to be enough because that only gives the players a 3 in 7 chance of playing every game.

Also given that the ECJ is already overcrowded with the number of hearings they have to make why should they give themselves more work when their answer is always going to be the same?

In the end all that will need to happen is this:

Judge: Mr Wenger/Ferguson/Hiddink etc. Do you declare under oath that were it not for FIFA's 6+5 rule Mr Randomnameovic would be playing every match?Manager: Yes.

Blatter is making noise about this again today he now claims to have Manchester United and Fergusons (very important) support for his 6+5 rule. Could well be true as when it comes to the big four United do have a lot of English men in the squad. he also had this to say:

He added: "I have my concerns because the PL is the strongest league in the world, definitely, and taking over in such a manner that other leagues have difficulties to match the Premier League.

"There is another factor. Where is the competition when two thirds or three quarters of participants play not to be first? They play not to be relegated.

Does Mr Blatter not remember Italian football in the 80'and 90's dominated by the same teams through history. Sure Napoli and Lazio won it but both teams destroyed themselves financially to do so but this is never talked about. Same in Spain where when ever the Madrid-Barca monopoly was broken it was done so at the ruination of the club example being Atetico, Valencia and Deportivo but yet again I do not remember Blatter or anyone else speaking out against Spains big two or Italys big 3, 4 or whatever.

I honestly dont believe he, or Platini, has anything against the Premiership but a bit of consistency would be nice from the heads of the world and European organisations. What the Premiership is doing wrong now was done in other countries years before, if maybe he mentioned this once in a while maybe his ideas wouldnt be shot down so quickly in England.

"There is another factor. Where is the competition when two thirds or three quarters of participants play not to be first? They play not to be relegated."

God he really does talk out of his anus sometimes. No, I take that back, he ALWAYS talks out of his anus.

Firstly it's nowhere near 2/3s let alone 3/4 playing to "not be relegated" in an average year it's usually between 5 and 7 clubs in the relegation scrap.

Secondly no amount of measures or rule changes is going to alter that in any league in the world. Teams are always going to compete not to be relegated, build up cash reserves and then push up towards the UEFA spots. Even then you are never going to have all 20 Premiership teams competing for the title.

Back on topic if the 6+5 rule gets in it will be out within 3 years after a Premiership Manager tells the ECJ that the sole reason he's not picking a Spanish player is because of that rule.

True but he's technically eligible to play for England under another rule Blatter put in so you can't have it both ways. If he gets called up for Spain I'll swap Sagna for Gavin Hoyte or Clichy for Kieron Gibbs to keep the numbers.